Questions, Anyone?

October 18, 2013

Q. A reader asks, "How and when did the Alpena Farmers' Market start?"

A. Dr. Tom Cook, one of the organizers of the Alpena Farmers' Market, remembers that about 40 years ago he and Dr. Henry Stibitz started selling home-grown products in the parking lot by the Congregational Church in downtown Alpena. Cook had maple trees and Stibitz had bee hives, so they sold maple syrup and honey, with the help of their young sons. A dozen or so vendors at the early markets sold vegetables, fruits and crafts. Over the years the market was located in several places (including the former Medical Arts Clinic parking lot at the corner of Chisholm Street and State Avenue) before it moved to its present location in downtown behind Alpena City Hall.

There have been many improvements over the years, and last year it became a year-round market. This year, on Oct. 26 they will be moving to a new location in the Alpena Mall, according to J.B. Cook, director. They will be there from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday until May.

Unanswered questions

Q. Does the Q&A column have many questions for which no answer has been found?

A. Not many. Most knowledgeable people are more than willing to give information or suggest ways to find answers, so answers are found to most questions sent to the Q&A column. Here are some of the questions that have not been answered. If anyone has a clue as to the answers, please send to one of the addresses listed at the end of this column.

* Why are the street names on Bare Point in Alpena spelled differently? One is Bare Point and one is Bear Point.

* Where are the lumbering history murals that used to be in the lobby of the Alpena Savings Bank (now PNC)? One reader wonders if the murals could be found and given to Besser Museum.

* Why are shoes hanging on trees at Squaw Bay, on M32 near Atlanta, and other places? Who hangs their shoes on these shoe trees?

* What happened to the brown sign with mileages on it that used to be at the corner of Johnson Street and Woodward in Alpena? It had these mileages on it: 240 miles to Detroit; 240,000 to the moon, and 240 million to Venus.

* Huron Park and Beach View are shown on a Presque Isle County plat map of 1903. Were they ever developed into communities?

* Clever "insider stuff" observations were in the Alpena News in the mid 1900s, written by an anonymous "Pipeline Pete." Who was the mysterious unidentified "Pipeline Pete" and what was his/her real name?

* Does anyone have a Hubbard Lake phone book from the years 1964, 1965, 1966?

* In the middle of one day in the early 1940s, why did it get very dark?

Answers and also more questions are always welcome. Please send to one of the addresses below. Many readers have commented that they have a question for the column, but they've forgotten what it was. Now is a good time to find those questions and send them in.